Lucid Culture

Obviously, the best musical acts are those who play all or mostly their own material. But an artist’s choice of cover songs says a lot about their imagination, their ability to interpret or reinterpret or behave hubristically.  This week’s listings feature what many of these people like to do with other peoples’ stuff.

Thurs May 10  Hula plays the Mercury, 9 PM. Thoughtful, quietly meandering indie rock from Williamsburg, a cut above the rest of the pack. Hard to figure out their influences: Calla? Maybe, but a lot more melodic and hummable.

Fri May 11 brilliant guitarist Lenny Molotov  plays Sidewalk at 8 PM with  chromatic harp wizard Jake Engel and violinist Karl Meyer on a few songs. Molotov – who also plays lead in Randi Russo’s band – is one of the most amazing fretburners in town, a master of old open-tuned acoustic delta blues but equally good as a  rocker or throwback 60s psychedelic guy. And a hell of a lyricist. If you’ve always wanted to see Richard Thompson but can’t afford the ticket price, this guy is just as good. Choice cover: a terrific and terrifically obscure Bush-era parable called Walker Texas Ranger. Who did the original? You tell me.  

Also Fri May 11 Les Chauds Lapins play  Banjo Jim’s, 9 PM. Quietly potent blues guitar powerhouse Meg Reichardt (from the Roulette Sisters) and her band run through popular and obscure French pop from the early decades of the last century. The band name is French for “the hot bunnies,” which indicates where they’re trying to go.

Later Fri May 11 Moisturizer plays  Luna in Williamsburg at 11 PM. They’ve set a record of sorts in that they’ve literally never written a bad song. Each and every one of their bouncy, percussive, bari sax/bass/drums instrumentals is really good! And as frontwoman/saxist Moist Paula will tell you, all of them are true stories. Subway Flood. Actually I’m So Busy. Mother’s Coming Over with a Bunch of Scallions. If Erik Satie was alive today Moisturizer would be his favorite band. Choice cover: they did the Batman theme once or twice – and it was great! - but don’t play it anymore.

Sat May 12 Hazmat Modine plays Terra Blues on Bleecker just west of LaGuardia, two sets starting about 7:15 PM. Blues instrumentation augmented by ancient reed instruments: half of this band should be in a museum. Fiery, exuberant, terrifically funny frontman. Strange, surreal lyricism, all kinds of improvisation, wild soloing and a rustic panglobal psychedelic vibe. One of the best live bands anywhere: you should see them sometime. Choice cover: Buddy, a hilarious, obscure blues tune wherein a hypocrite gets what’s coming to him, and the frontman mines it for all it’s worth. “Do you call that a buddy? “No, no!”

Also Sat May 12, 10:30 PMish  Demolition String Band plays Rodeo Bar. Basically, it’s electrified bluegrass by a bunch of purists, the frontwoman’s sweet vocals balancing out the lead player’s supersonic, crescendoing climbs and runs down the scale. Choice cover: anything from their tremendous cover cd of Ola Belle Reed songs, including the bluegrass standard High on a Mountain. 

Also Sat May 12 the Sprinkle Genies play Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn, 9 PM. At their best they remind of X with punky attitude and guy/girl vocals. A lot of their songs are very funny, especially the one with the surfy Middle Eastern guitar. Also on the bill tonight: upstate zydeco band the McGillicuddies.

Sun May 13 Maynard & the Musties and Mr. McGregor play Mo Pitkins downstairs, 7 PM, free. The former is the onetime Millerite Redeemers frontman playing his hilariously literate country songs, and faux-country songs, and now some rock as well. The latter are Maynard’s backing band playing their own original, humorously inclined indie rock. Choice cover: a hilarious, Velvet Underground-inflected version of Rhinestone Cowboy.

Later Sun May 13 Van Hayride plays Banjo Jim’s, 10 PM. Country covers of Van Halen songs. Jack Grace is the stand-in for David Lee Roth, sick beyond anything you could ever imagine. There is no funnier band in town right now. Pick a song. Running with the Devil? Ain’t Talkin About Love? Dunno about you, but I think they ought to do Ice Cream Man.

Mon May 14 Rev. Vince Anderson plays Black Betty, 10:45ish, two sets. Moist Paula from Moisturizer on baritone sax. The rhythm section is from dance-rockers  Chin Chin. The guitarist was once in the Pleasure Unit and has really come around to work well in this deliriously fun, gospel-based, improvisationally brilliant piano-driven unit (that’s the Rev. on keys). Also one of the funniest bands in town. Choice cover: a shockingly good, stripped down, bluesy version of You Gotta Serve Somebody.

Weds May 16 at 2 (two) PM for people who feel like playing hooky,  Hazmat Modine plays the Hoboken Spring Jazz Festival, somewhere on  Washington St. It’s the main street in town after you get off the Path train. I suspect it will be within a short walk away: follow your ears.

Also Weds May 16 Alec Stephen and his band play Luna, 10 PM. The ex-Railroad Jerk lead guitarist has been through several subsequent incarnations, and this straight-ahead rock unit is by far the best: he’s never been more rousing or melodic. And he’ll still throw in a few of the older bluesy numbers that he does so well.

Also Weds May 16, Mr. Action & the Boss Guitars play  Lakeside, 10 PM. This is the rhythm section from the pretty-much-defunct Supertones, plus two decent guitarists playing oldschool surf covers, most of them Ventures or Shadows songs. If you like your surf twangy, mellow and played on authentic instruments, this is your cup of salt water.

Thurs May 17 Pal Shazar plays the Living Room, 8 PM, a duo show with guitarist Rick Norman. She’s sort of the left coast Patti Smith: fiery political sensibility, good sense of melody, and she knows all eyes are on her after all these years. Or at least she’ll try to make you believe.

Thurs May 17 Elk City plays  Luna, 10 PM. The media says they’re a janglepop band but they’re really more noise-rockers: they once covered the Dream Syndicate classic Tell Me When It’s Over and didn’t embarrass themselves, which is pretty impressive. . 

Also Thurs May 17 guitar genius Matt Munisteri plays Barbes, 10 PM. Born a bluegrass cat, grown to be a jazzman, a devotee of the weird and obscure, the weirder and more obscure the better. You may hear covers of both oddball Western swing genius Willard Robison, and haunting, accordion-driven French musette instrumentals.

Fri May 18 Ellen Foley plays  Lakeside, 11 PM. The ubiquitous Steve Antonakos on slide guitar. Ex 5 Chinese Brother Paul Foglino on Telecaster. The bandleader, an actress and onetime cohort of the Clash looks great, sounds better than ever and tells a great story: her persona is more or less slightly dotty grande dame of obscure rock n roll, and she plays it to the hilt, singing Foglino’s slightly dotty, Americana-inflected pop songs. And she pulls out a few obscure pop tunes that were European hits for her in the 80s. 

 Also Fri May 18 Luther Wright and the Wrongs play Rodeo Bar, 2 sets 10:30 PM or so. The Canadian bluegrass cat and his band are best known (and rightfully so) for their brilliant cover of Pink Floyd’s album The Wall. But their originals are first-rate as well, with the requisite sense of humor and spectacular guitar/banjo chops.